Playwrights Voiced: Reading of BLACK SKY by Amanda with music by Claire Roy

With partial funding from Wyoming Humanities and the Wyoming Art Council, Relative Theatrics and Wyoming Singer-Songwriters present the 5th Annual PLAYWRIGHTS VOICED FESTIVAL: Featuring New Plays with Original Music Relative Theatrics and Wyoming Singer-Songwriters present the 5th Annual PLAYWRIGHTS VOICED FESTIVAL: Featuring New Plays with Original Music, May 22-25, 2019 at the LPCC Gryphon Theatre. The series features 3 nights of readings of new plays by developing playwrights and 1 night of music from Wyoming Singer-Songwriters, interspersed with theatrical scenes and artistic conversations. PLAYWRIGHTS VOICED returns for its fifth year as a successful festival of new works with a goal of developing contemporary playwriting and promoting local talent in directing and acting. PLAYWRIGHTS VOICED features BLACK SKY by Amanda Andrei with music by Claire Roy (May 22), INFINITE CANARY by Annie Pulsipher with music by Margaret Rattenbury (May 23), and SHINE DOWN ON US by Spencer Huffman with music by Jordan Smith (May 24). The plays are directed by Anne Mason, Bailey Patterson, and Andrew Thornton. May 22: BLACK SKY by Amanda Andrei; Music by Claire Roy; Directed by Anne Mason In a near future world where the government trains teenagers to manage disasters, five young women embark on a training scenario to fix a regional electrical grid. When a freak solar storm hits the grid and injures the teens, they must fight for their bodies, relationships, and lives. May 23: INFINITE CANARY by Annie Pulsipher; Music by Margaret Rattenbury; Directed by Bailey Patterson Miss R is not a quitter. She's NEVER quit anything in her life. But a couple months into her stint as a Teach for America Corps member in Appalachia and Miss R's dreams of being an inspirational teacher are as blown up as a coal-rich mountain top. Yet right as she gears up to quit, a strange man called "St. Robin," who dubs himself the "Patron St. of Inspirational Teachers" appears and offers to help Miss R get her narrative back on track. With St. Robin guiding her through the paces of an Inspirational Teacher Movie, surely Miss R can achieve the success she so desires ... even if it comes as the cost of crossing a few lines ... But what happy ending ever came without a few casualties? May 24: SHINE DOWN ON US by Spencer Huffman; Music by Jordan Smith; Directed by Andrew Thornton With the law hot on his tail and a bloody trail behind him, Franky arrives at his brother’s home seeking vengeance. Joe, a police officer torn between helping Franky and turning him in, must face his own role in Franky's bleak life. As Joe’s guilt mounts and the police close in on Franky, the brothers and their family grapple with their shared past and endure the painful process of taking responsibility for a family’s suffering. May 25: WYOMING SINGER SONGWRITERS, featuring play excerpts and artist conversations; Proctored by Caskey Russell Wyoming Singer-Songwriters will pair a Wyoming musician with each play selected in Playwrights Voiced. The songwriters will compose music inspired by the play and perform original songs, blending elements of acting, songwriting, and storytelling into a unique experience with insight into the creative processes. This final night of the festival features full performances from all three songwriters, interspersed with excerpts from each play and conversations between the artists involved, highlighting the stories and the inspiration behind the songs. *PLAYWRIGHTS VOICED features mature content and is recommended for adult audiences. Relative Theatrics strives to present thought-provoking theatre that examines the joining qualities of the human race. We believe that theatre is a forum with the power to illuminate the binding qualities of humanity and reinforce the ideals that as a society we have values that pose as common ground and emotions that relate us to one another. Taking artistic risk, we provide a community gathering place where thoughts can be exchanged about society, culture, and the power of creativity. Wyoming Singer-Songwriters assist artists from every Wyoming community to have access to a statewide platform to perform, share, sell, and practice their art. The organization provides professional support in recording and publishing music, enhances singer-songwriter exposure across the state, creates experience opportunities for singer-songwriters to practice their art, and connects musicians and songwriters throughout the state. The RT/WSS partnership is a collaboration that supports and promotes the arts in Wyoming on a national scale, enhancing WSS’ ability to fulfill its mission by providing new opportunities for songwriters to perform to different audiences and to have their work featured in different media. PLAYWRIGHTS VOICED begins at the Laramie Plains Civic Center (LPCC) Gryphon Theatre Wednesday, May 22rd. Additional performances take place Thursday through Saturday, May 23-25. A different play is presented every night. All performances are at 7:30pm. Each reading is followed by an optional audience chatback with the playwright, actors, and artistic team. May 25th is a concert setting featuring full sets from the songwriters, interspersed with theatrical scenes and artist conversations. Tickets: Single Tickets are $10 General Admission/$8 for Students/Seniors. Purchase of a ticket for nights 1-3 include free admission to night 4. They can be purchased online at www.gryphontheatre.org or by going into the LPCC office room 110 during business hours. Seating is limited to 50 tickets per performance.